15 Crazy Bicycles

Spring has sprung, at itâ€™s time we starting thinking about getting off the couch, brushing away the potato chip crumbs, and heading outside for a little sun, fresh air, and physical activity. Of course, biking is always a good, healthy activityâ€”convenient, too, if you use a bike to get around. But let’s face it, cycling can get a little repetitive and boring if you pass the same old scenery every time out. So, maybe it’s time to spruce up your ride and make things more interesting. To get the creative juices flowing, start by checking out the 15 Crazy Bicycles listed here.

15. Golden Gate Bicycle

This bike is the kind of thing that makes people think everyone in San Francisco is a hippy. Youâ€™ve got a model of the Golden Gate Bridge, complete with realistically painted roads and automobiles, but with a golden two-headed dragon at one end. Oh, and thereâ€™s the obligatory rainbow, and a couple flames painted on the seat for good measure (insert fart joke here). Stylish? Depends. Practical? Nope.

14. Witchâ€™s Bicycle

On this bike, the steering column is attached to the long broom handle. Thus, to steer the bike, you point the broom in the direction you want to go. Pretty clever, and great for Halloween, but it looks kind of difficult to maneuver. I definitely wouldnâ€™t recommend riding this without a matching pointy witchâ€™s helmet.

13. Forkless Bicycle

Weâ€™re already starting to see a common theme on this list: style taking precedent over function. Case in point: behold this sleek, beautiful forkless bicycle. Itâ€™s probably a pain in the ass to steer around corners, it probably weighs more than its rider and, consequently, it probably takes about 10 minutes to slow this thing down (especially with foot breaks that work only on the rear wheel). But you will certainly look cool cruising down the street on this bike.

12. Sideways Bicycle

Most of the bikes on this list flirt with unconventional design for aesthetic purposes (that is, they sacrifice performance to look more awesomer). But whatâ€™s up with this guy and his sideways bikes? Not only do they look difficult to handle and, frankly, kind of dangerous, but they also make you look like a total doofus. Nice going, mustache dude. Hope you have a heating pad at home to sooth your aching neck after riding around all day looking over your shoulder.

11. Olympic Spirit

This Beijing resident was obviously suffering a serious case of Olympic fever in 2008. Or at least, we hope this photo is from 2008. If itâ€™s from 2009 or 2010, this man may have a serious mental problem. In any case, here we see that you donâ€™t have to alter the basic mechanics of a bicycle to come up with something pretty cool and unique.

10. The 1960 Bowden Spacelander

As the name implies, this was a technologically advanced spaceage bicycle. It was built from a new fancy new material, fiberglass, which was light and rust proof (unlike the steel bicycles everyone had up till then). Hell, if you owned a Spacelander, you were practically an astronaut! Unfortunately, although the bike had and still has its fanatical supporters, it never really caught on in a big way. Nevertheless, today this bike is seen as a forerunner to the current class of super-sexy, super-expensive, high-tech bicycles.

I like the fact that this bike has been tricked out with a pretty awesome stereo system. Who wouldnâ€™t want to ride through the park blasting some tunes? What I would be a little concerned about, if I were this fine gentleman, is the fact that the bike frame is upside down and, hence, the peddles are where the seat ought to be. The designs needs some tweaking.

8. Renovatia by Jens Eichler

This tandem bikeâ€™s frame is made of wook, and it looks absolutely incredible. I would totally own one if not for one problem: wood is a helluva lot heavier than the aluminum they usually use to make bikes. Hence, no one wants to actually purchase this bike. Designer Jens Eichler is working on a version with the same appealing style but a little less mass. Good luck!

So, in #7 I explained about the tallbike trend. Hereâ€™s someone who has taken it to the next level: a tall double bike. Basically, you weld one bike frame on top of another so the wheels of the top frame rub against the wheels of the bottom frame. Pretty amazing, but remember to peddle backwards instead of forwards, or youâ€™re likely to fall down and break your collarbone.

5. Full-Size Foldable Bike

If you live in a crowded city where cycling is becoming a common way for people to get around, then youâ€™ve probably seen people riding around on what look like miniature bicycles. But theyâ€™re not miniature just for the hell of it. Theyâ€™re folding bikes, meant for people who have small apartments with no place to store a full-size bike. Folding bikes have actually been around for decades, but are becoming popular once again. Anyway, a bunch of crafty bike geeks decided it was time to come up with a folding bicycle that didnâ€™t have to be miniaturized. And this is what they made. Pretty ingenious, really.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are some bike geeks who got together and thought, screw full-size folding bikes, we should try to make them even smaller. So they came up with this: the Handybike. Itâ€™s practically a scooter that you peddle.

3. Swing Bike

The Swing Bike is not for novices. As you can see, the middle part of the frame connecting the front and rear wheels is hinged, which means the handle bars and front wheel can be un-aligned from the reel wheel. Why? To do sweet tricks, of course. Why else?

2. Skywalker Tallbike

Remember when I was talking about tallbikes up above? Well, this bike really goes runs wild with the concept. The website responsible for the video actually provides detailed instructions for assembling a tallbike such as this (though, apparently, some basic knowledge of welding is required). So, if youâ€™re looking for a new hobby…